Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!samsung!munnari.oz.au!mel.dit.csiro.au!yarra!bohra!als
From: als@bohra.cpg.oz (Anthony Shipman)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: Upgrade ST-02 to 1542B => re-partition drive?
Summary: you must reformat
Message-ID: <622@bohra.cpg.oz>
Date: 24 Sep 90 03:19:14 GMT
References: <1990Sep21.191238.23217@cimcor.mn.org>
Organization: Computer Power Group, Melb, Australia
Lines: 34

In article <1990Sep21.191238.23217@cimcor.mn.org>, dick@cimcor.mn.org (Dick Schlotfeldt) writes:
> I used MS-DOS 3.3 fdisk and format to partition and format a Wren IV
> with an ST-02 SCSI host adapter in a 12 MHz 286 machine. The partitions
> were C (boot), D, E, and F. It worked fine.
> 
> After moving the disk drive to a 25 MHz 386 machine I tried booting with
> an Adaptec 1542B adapter. The SCSI bios found the drive (id 0) but
> could not find the system files. A boot from floppy in A: was ok and 
> DIR C: found everything just fine. However DIR D: (also E: and F:)
> reported partitions not found (or non-existent or whatever the word is).
> 
> 1. Is a SCSI drive sensitive to the host adapter (or the computer)? If so, why?
>    But the controller (where really low level stuff happens) is on the drive!
> 2. Do I really have to re-partition and re-format the drive?
> 3. Or is something else causing my problem?

Yes you must reformat the drive.

I had the same problem when changing from a Future Domain controller to the
Adaptec. The release notes for the AHA1542A mention that if you change
controllers the behaviour is "erratic". What an understatement!

The Adaptec controller maps my drive to 64 heads/cyl, 32 sectors per track.
The FT controller had 38 heads per cyl and 17 sectors per track. The result
is that the disk data reads as totally garbled.

For DOS you could get away with rerunning fdisk and "format c:". For UNIX a 
low level format is needed as the controller stores format data on the drive, 
which Interactive Unix reads.
-- 
Anthony Shipman                               ACSnet: als@bohra.cpg.oz.au
Computer Power Group
9th Flr, 616 St. Kilda Rd.,
St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia
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